How To Make Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live “Anti Cancer Soup” With Step By Step Photos

Holy mackerel this “Anti Cancer Soup” recipe makes a ton of soup! You can eat for a whole week off this one recipe.

I decided to try and document Dr. Fuhrman’s famous “Anti Cancer Soup” as it seemed like a fairly intensive recipe and I took it as a challenge to make a soup an entirely new way. For this recipe you’re going to need a good juicer that can handle juicing a lot of carrots and celery. This is the one I use, it’s a medium priced juicer and it does the job.

I met Dr. Joel Fuhrman last February at Dr. John McDougall’s 3 Day Advanced Study Weekend and he mentioned in his lecture about chopping onions, cooking them and then blending them into the soup for some additional nutritional benefits on how everything combines together. I do NOT remember the exact processes going on, he had a very scientific explanation for this. I will have to watch the recording of the lecture again to get it straight. But all you need to know is, this soup is HEALTHY for you and highly recommended by Dr. Fuhrman as a nutrient dense soup that’s crammed with veggies.

Might I just add that Dr. Fuhrman is totally ripped and in amazing shape and his “Disease Proof” diet is definitely working well for him. I saw some pictures of his wife and daughters and they are all very slim and quite beautiful too. He should be very proud to have such a happy and healthy family setting such a great example on a oil free plant based diet.

I just finished up a low fat vegan recipe book of my own called Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm, so I’ve made quite a bit of soup these past few months. I have actually nicknamed myself the “Vegan Soup Queen” I’ve made so much soup lol!

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s “Anti Cancer Soup” recipe comes from his book Eat To Live (which is actually less than $10 on Amazon right now so check it out.)

One thing about this anti cancer soup is that you can definitely tell it was designed by a man without any need for great culinary skills. It is very simple in presentation as everything is pretty much just blended together, and it’s something that you start cooking while you continue to prep the rest of your veggies as you go. So this seems very practical, albeit because of the amount of soup this recipe makes it can be a bit of work.

What I like most about Dr. Fuhrman’s recipes is that they are oil free and really healthy, so this is right up my alley and I am happy to be able to make his recipes without any major modifications.

Dr. Fuhrman recommends that you make a big pot of this once and then eat it for the rest of the week, or freeze portions of it. It does take much more time and effort than my other soup recipes, but it makes a ton of soup and if you’re only doing this once or twice a month on a Sunday afternoon it’s no big deal.

Better yet, get a helper to help you prep the veggies and then you can relax in between cooking steps! I really wish I had had a helper… haha

Since his “Anti Cancer Soup” is such a big recipe with so many ingredients I wanted to estimate the cost of making it. Now just FYI this is approximately what I paid in Canada at a discount grocery store, and none of these items were bought in bulk. If you live in the USA and/or buy in bulk it will probably be a bit cheaper. But if you buy all organic produce it will definitely cost more.

So when you divide the “Anti Cancer Soup” costs out by the number servings (and you will get at least 12 servings) it’s not too expensive. It’s a little less than the price of an organic canned soup and definitely less than buying lunch somewhere else.

If I had to describe the taste of this anti cancer soup I would say that it mostly tastes like mild split peas with leeks and mushrooms. It’s not very strong tasting or in any way offensive. You can definitely eat it as is, or add some more herbs or spices to it. When I make soup I like to add things like thyme, bay leaves or other seasonings. I like really flavourful soups.

Now on to my step by step (with photos!) instructions on how to make this soup. My soup recipes have way less directions btw, I just wanted this to be clear as even I was scratching my head at all the steps when I made it the first time. It also looked very strange while cooking, so I didn’t want anyone else to be afraid or discouraged and not know what to expect! I took over 100 pictures of this recipe preparation! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

Dr. Fuhrman also likes to add a cruciferous leafy green to his soup now too. So you can add a bunch or two of kale (stems removed) or collard greens if you desire.

In a large 6 qt soup pot add 4 cups/1 L of water and the split peas and bring to a boil. Slice off the tops of the onions, shave off the roots and peel the outer skins and place them into the pot whole. (Update: Fuhrman now recommends cutting the onions up so their enzymes can react while cooking as this increases their nutrition.) Cover with a lid to start the steaming process. Once at a boil reduce heat to medium low.

Peel the zuchinnis, and place in the pot uncut. (If they are large cut them in half lengthwise). Cut the bottom roots off the leeks and slice them up the side so each leaf can be thoroughly washed, because leeks have lots of dirt hidden inside. (This is a good tip, I found a little worm in one of my leaves. Gross.) Cut off the top inch of the leeks and discard. Then place the entire leek (leaves uncut) into the pot and cover again.

Oh, so THAT’S what 5 pounds of carrots look like…

Peel the carrots. (If they are organic, this is optional) Whew that was hard…

That's a lot of juice! About 32 ounces worth

Juice the carrots in a juicer.

Wash the celery and cut off the tops and bottoms.

Makes about 22-23 ounces

Juice celery in a juicer.

(Ok now this is starting to look like witches' brew....)

Add the juices to the pot.

I got a 1 lb pack of mixed mushrooms for variety. Really it was just a few different mushrooms on top of a layer of dirty white mushrooms… Marketing can be deceptive!

While the soup is simmering, clean the mushrooms with a mushroom brush. Cut and slice up the mushrooms. By the time you get to this stage, the zucchini, leeks, onions should be soft. If they aren’t just keep cleaning and chopping the mushrooms.

I think I love you. (Now that you're all clean that is!)

Pretty mushrooms…

This is super messy. I'm starting to get worried that my camera will get dirty from all the drippings...

Ladle some of the liquid from the pot into a Vitamix or food processor. Use tongs to remove the soft onions, zucchini, and leeks. Be careful to leave the split peas or beans in the bottom of the pot.

Doesn't this look delicious? No? Ok well let's blend it then.

In a few separate batches, completely blend together the onions, zucchini, and leeks. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot.

Soup is getting everywhere by now...

Add a lot of liquid to blend the cashews, don't make the same mistake I did or it will become thick like cashew butter.

Add more soup liquid (lots) and cashews to the mixture, and blend in.

What an attractive soup this is! *Ahem*

Return the blended, creamy mixture back to the pot.

Yeah this SO doesn't look like a cauldron boiling away... Yikes!

Add the sliced mushrooms and bay leaves. Simmer another 20-30 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

(This time I used to cleaned my kitchen, which now looked like a soup bomb went off in it! The funny part is, this is EXACTLY what Dr. Fuhrman and his wife do too. See how this recipe is obviously designed by a man? Very practical. haha)

Oh yay, you're looking less offensive and icky now. You just look a little jaundicey tho...

Season to taste with granulated garlic and Herbamare or other salt free seasonings if desired.

Remove bay leaves and serve. (Now that your kitchen is clean you can sit down, relax and enjoy!)

I have studied your recipe, and dozens of others from Dr. Fuhrman. I don’t understand why this recipe, and most of the others I’ve read, require blending or pureeing vegetables, especially when making soups. Why not just chop and cook the vegetables, along with all the other ingredients, in each of your soup recipes and enjoy a proper vegetable soup? All of the Fuhrman-style recipes look very good, but I feel there is too much processing of foods going on. Do you know how much time it takes to clean out a food processor after each use? It can take a good 45 minutes just to clean the machinery–I don’t have that kind of time– which really discourages me from trying these recipes.

I didn’t write the recipe. I’m just showing how to make it. Dr. Fuhrman tends to make recipes that have a purpose for him, not necessarily always the easiest method as he makes big batches. I use broth in all my blended soup recipes instead of vegetable juice to save time and money. Blending in a Vitamix for me isn’t a big use of time.

I’m not sure what warrants calling cashews dirty and oily. Perhaps you have not read his books or are unfamiliar with his recipe programs. He promotes the use of nuts and seeds in small quantities for their nutrient value and does not use oil in his recipes.

The carrot pulp is very dry, and often big carrots are more bitter. The sheer amount of pulp produced by juicing the carrots and celery is unlikely to be used. You might add some to raw dehydrated burger patties or add a little to baked goods. But there will be much more produced than anyone would likely use.

make sure u soak beans & or peas in plenty water over nite in big bucket please, In
morning please rinse well ,cover with water then dump in a crock pot,just covered.
then u can just think about your vegies ,& cut them up in chunks .Put in big pot,
cook seperate. vegies cook quickly with very little water by steam
two cups vegie stock will steam a whole pot of cut vegies in 10 min ,even if cut large– leave covered while u wait for the beans & peas to get done-then combine into the big pot then puree and add stock till u get it the right thickness u want— add
bayleaf tyme ect—as u want — let simmer for a few Then cool down

For Any Vegie Soup—- think Diner A Chef Method making Vegie Soup
lay whole celery on board–hold large knife 45 degree angle -Cut whole celery in 1 in
slices– onions cut in 1/2 lay flat cut in 4 pices carrots -clean- cut in 1/2 long ways—lay 4 togeather cut in 1 in peices -4 at a time—garlic smash carefully w a full can of tomatoes pic out the peeles from each knot — chop a bit– cut squash in big chunks
& so on–put all in pot — your beans or peas are in another pot ,u started 3o min ago
& just covered w water simmering- Meanwhile the big pot–pretty full- put 2 cups vegie stock in pot thats all—turn on full— cover– u need steam ! pot full of steam
will develop 350 degrees not 212 sit a few min till top starts clanging
careful steam is hot– open pot stir by lifting vegies up from bottom
then cover again —- within 5 min 10 the most your vegies are done turn pot off
leave lid on dont peek ! now check beans peas—- when they are soft done
puree the cooked vegies with a hand blender—adding more saltless vege stock
for how thick u want it—-then add the done beans peas all tgeather in one pot
or puree the whole soup vegies & beans carrots leek squash everything togeather dont mix beans & vegies to cook in one pot-two different entitys

I just finished making this soup. It takes forever to make. At least 4 hours. And my kitchen is in shambles once it is finished. Anyway, I saw that in your pictures, you cooked the onions, leeks and kale in the pot with the zucchini. Reading his recipe, he does not say to cook them, only to chop everything and put it in the vitamix with a little soup liquid then add to the pot. (I put everything in the cuisinart first to make adding to the vitamix easier but I did not cook the veggies first). I wonder what brought you to cook the veggies first. Just curious.
And, I could not believe how much volume this soup is. At one point I had my 2 largest pots going, and they are big pots, as I could not get everything in one pot. Then the issue was how to get it all in the fridge! If it was not so good for me, I don’t think I would ever make it again. This soup is not for the novice cook.

Hi Pat, yes Dr. Fuhrman does say to cook the veggies. Here is the original recipe instructions for that section: “Take the outer skins off the onions and place them in the covered pot. Do not cut them up, put them in whole. Add the zucchini, uncut. Cut the bottom roots off the leeks and slice them up the side so each leaf can be thoroughly washed, because leeks have lots of dirt hidden inside. Throw away the last inch at the green top. Then place the entire leek (leaves uncut) into the pot.” I used the original recipe version from http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/recipes-dr-fuhrmans-famous-anticancer-soup.html as it is also published in many of his books.

This is a recipe that makes a lot of soup, so although it might take you 2-4 hours to make with clean up you will have enough to freeze for many many portions or to eat for 7-10 days every day. So if you like to cook once or twice a week and have a lot of leftovers this would be a recipe for that purpose.

Thanks for that. I think the first time I made this soup I cooked the veggies in the pot but since then I bought his hard bound cookbook and in that version, it does not have that step. I remember feeling a bit confused as I was putting the soup together since I thought I remembered putting in a cooked onion in my vitamix but it was some time ago and was not sure. As I loaned out my copy of his eat to live book, I could not refer back to the original recipe as I was making it. I liked the flavor of the first attempt better than the second attempt. The second attempt, with the raw veggies added to the soup gave the flavor of a very bright onion soup. Not very pleasurable. I was thinking that if I ever made it again, I might brown the onions and leeks first before putting them in the vitamix. Do you think browning the veggies would degrade their nutritional benefit too much? Thanks for your thoughts.

Pat, Dr. Fuhrman has you blend the onions and leeks raw so that they will create the cancer-fighting ITCs. Cooking before breaking the cell walls and “chewing” it all together prevents the ITCs from forming. Once blended, it’s OK to cook them.

In reading this recipt– owning an eatery- Being a chef– cook soup in pot in chunks celery onions spinish ect
carrots ect –not the mushrooms & items u need in chunks for texture– nothing sticks to bottom of pot while cooking- stir alittle because of peas & beans
simmer ntill done— we then run soup through a meat grinder– it leaves some texture,also finish the mushrooms in a small pot of the soup-
mix all togeather wen mushrooms are done enough then package & freeze
a household meat grinder is cheap to buy easy to clean leaves u texture & taste
For that amount of soup decant soup with small sauce pan on to tray of meatgrinder
no mess no fuss thats how we make ours thank you DAVE

I just made this soup and it yielded 32 cups which I put in 16 2-cup containers. Yum! I froze 14 containers for quick grabbing for lunch. I think it’s my third time making this soup. Each time I cut back on the carrot juice as 4-5 cups is just way too sweet for me. I used 3-cups carrot juice and one extra pound of small baby carrots left whole. I also used three pounds of shredded collards which I didn’t blend. I like my soups with some texture to it and the carrots, collards, and mushrooms were enough to satisfy my need for chunky. This soup gets better and better every time. It’s such a versatile soup. Next time, in addition to the peas I think I’ll add adzuki beans.

I know you said it is 12 servings but how much is a serving? 1 cup? 1 1/2 cups? Thanks for posting the recipe. I am anxious to try it and I want to freeze some individual servings without trying to divide it 12 ways and figure all that out.

I have yet to try the Anti-Cancer soup, but I will definitely be making it soon! I’ve tried Fuhrman’s Creamy Austrian Cauliflower soup, the Broccoli Lentil Soup and the Tomato Bisque and I love them all.

I made Dr. Fuhrman’s ACS when I first got his book, Eat for Life. It took me forEVER and as you said, it made a mess in the kitchen. When it was all done, it looked like green sludge. It was so thick (like a very thick milkshake), it was difficult to eat and neither my husband nor I enjoyed it. That was very sad, but true. We just couldn’t get over the foamy, green thickness and the lack of flavor. Needless to say, I haven’t made it again. I wish instead of blending, there would have been some texture (like your mushrooms). Too many blended soups are dull. We enjoy texture and flavor. I guess that’s unfortunate.

Thanks for the great post and pictures. Making the soup is a job in itself. Adding the photographs AND the words, well, you deserve a long soak in a tub followed by a massage!

I highly doubt you could fit 5lbs of carrots and all the celery and zucchini in there. I would divide the recipe in half at the very least and add vegetable broth too cook in since you need liquid for not juicing the carrots and celery. You can always give it a try!

Thanks….that’s what I meant. Wasn’t sure if they’d need eventual blending or not.

So, I have to ask…why not cut everything up smaller from the beginning and then just purée the soup at the end? Also could you not also add the carrot & celery in chopped to gain some of the fibre and add more water for liquid? Just a thought. Thanks for posting this.

I made this soup, and you’re right – it was way too much! My husband wouldn’t try it cause he didn’t like the color (good grief) so, I gave about half away. Well, after I gave so much away to folks I knew would appreciate it, he then tries it as a late night snack a couple days later and informs me… It’s REALLY GOOD! ::sigh::

Well, I love love love this soup. It is just outstanding. Making another batch today, only I halve the recipe now!! Thanks for your post and the boots. It was a big help when I first made the soup.

Veronica – This soup is time consuming as you mentioned but oh, so worth it! Thanks so much for the wonderful, explicit directions with the photos too. I made a ton of soup but froze the balance and am able to enjoy it whenever I desire. Thank you again for making it easy!

Can you just print the entire recipe without the pictures. I don’t need to see a picture of a vitamix or a juicer or a pot with soup. I have those things in my kitchen. I know what they look like. I just would like to read the recipe and your comments on the smallest amount of paper possible. Can you do this and then do pictures for those who need to look at them? So sorry to complain. You do a magnificent job with this website in every other way. Keep up the great work!!

Use the print icon at the top of the page to bring up the print widget. Check the remove all photos box and then edit what you want to print out in the recipe. This button is at the top of all my recipes.

I enjoy your site and your effort to write articles to make it interesting for us to follow. The photos and your version of the step by step instructions have attracted me to want to make this soup! I have bought Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live book and have been procrastinating to make this very good soup.

There is still one issue for me, i.e. I do not eat onions, garlic, leeks and celery. Looks like I cannot have this great soup, unless I can substitute.

I have your 2 soup books and managed to find some recipes without the use of onions, garlic, leeks and celary. Thanks.

If you are allergic to them it’s not a big deal, just leave them out of the recipe. You get a lot of flavor from the carrots and split peas and you can use other seasonings such as herbs or salt if desired.

OH , thank You , V eronica .
Well , I do NOT have these mentioned Diseases here above at all .
I suffered ACCIDENTS . Which is Different . So , my WOUNDS – ALL of them – come from ANOTHER Direction : ACCIDENTS . But thank You Anyway . I have told You already . My Body NEVER developed Deseases . Never .
.
I love all the Components . And they are ALL MY Vegetables . Mushrooms , for instance . 4_Four Killos ? Its OK . I eat them so often . Onions and Garlic , too , BUT I do it to Clean my Body , Depoisoning , because of the Medications only . Its an Ayurveda Solucion . But they induce to Nervorsity if Raw . So , I will try them cooked . As You show it here . Four Onions and Four Garlics to this amount of Soup , 12_Twelve Servings . I love Leeks . And Peas . They are also , Me . Typical Teresa Vegetables . But the Carrots are the most Important . Very He@thy . The Orange Pigments of Carrots are very , very Relevant to our Healthy Lives . But to cut them is Difficult . Its not Possible .
My dear V eronica , thank You . I will prepare the Soup , but NOT because of these Diseases , once what I have are WOUNDs coming from ACCIDENTS . OUTSIDE of MY BODY .
I am a Golden Penthagram . Too .

I personally think it is about the ingredients, not the process. The amounts can be adjusted to likes or dislikes. But look at the ingredients, they are all amazing nutrient dense items. Cut them , cook them with some water or stock (vegan and no sodium) and eat them and enjoy.
Something I have learned from both McDougall and Fuhrman; relax and enjoy your healthy foods and don’t stress…keeping it simple.
But most of all enjoy your journey!

Dr. Fuhrman only uses veggie juice in his soups. You can use vegetable broth instead if you like. It won’t be as sweet though as the carrots add a lot of natural sweetness to this recipe. And then omit the carrots and celery in the recipe. You need liquid to cook the soup in.

Trader Joes sells bottles of organic carrot juice in the refrigerated section, and there are some other organic brands of carrot juice that you can buy in other mainstream grocers. It’s a great substitute when you can’t juice it yourself! Just make sure there are no other added ingredients other than carrots. Enjoy!

I made this last night with a couple modification. I added about 1 teaspoon of dried rubbed sage, 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne powder and once the soup was done I stirred in 1 9-ounce package fresh spinach. I love the color and the spinach adds, not to mention the nutritional value. I might add another type of hot sauce to each bowl also. I like it spicy!

For this Anti Cancer Soup Recipe, it is A LOT of work… so I don’t see the point in doing so much work to only have 1 or 2 servings. That doesn’t make sense. If you’re going to make a soup or stew from scratch that takes a while to cook, it’s good to have at least 4 servings so you can eat the rest later or freeze.

I would suggest cutting this recipe in half then if it’s just too much, but then freezing the leftovers.

If his recipes are for 6-8 servings just cut them in half or in thirds. Generally he likes to make a soup and a dressing once or twice a week and not spend every day making recipes from scratch so it’s not as time consuming.

Thanks for the detailed pictures! I tried making this soup a few months ago and mine looked basically like yours’. But I had a lot of trouble with the leeks. My soup simmered for over two hours before I attempted to do the blending portion, but still the leeks merely shredded into strings that wrapped around the cutting blades bringing my Vitamix to a near stop. When I could smell ‘hot motor’ I knew there was a serious problem. In order to blend them I had to remove them from the blender, place in a mixing bowl, then using a pair of kitchen sheers I cut them into pieces small enough to be blended without making strings. These I added back to the Vitamix and continued with the blending. So my question is, should I have just let the Vitamix run trusting that the leeks would have eventually been blended up, or did I do something wrong that they were not soft enough going into it?

When you used leeks did you cut off the top hard green ends? Most of the flavour is in the white and light green parts. I did not have any problem blending mine with the Vitamix. The only thing that has ever overheated my Vitamix is blending rock hard frozen fruit with not enough liquid. Never a cooked vegetable.

#5 I bought the book Eat To Live 🙂 Still need to look the recipe up. Will the taste change negatively if I leave out the mushrooms, garlic and salt? Can I also blend instead of juice? Juicing removes most of the healthy fibbers…

I dont know what it would taste like split peas and zuchinni are very bland Fuhrman recommends people eat a little mushrooms onions and garlic every day because of their anti cancer properties and nutrient density. I use them in my recipes. This soup is not as flavorful as mine so u’d have to add something else to make it taste better.

I dont know who’d want to try blending 5 lbs of carrots. That would break the blender. Read the book. He talks about nutrient density of food and prefers veggie juice to broth for his soups. Use broth if u want but that much fibre would ruin the texture of the soup and there’d be no liquid to cook it in them.

Thanks for the suggestions, Veronica. I will try it again using more zuchinnis and split green peas. You are such a caring, supportive, responsive person. It is so appreciated with trying to eat more healthy foods.

For the zuchinni’s, I did have what was recommended for the medium size zuchinnis. I did add the broth from the soup to blend the cashews, but I understood to blend them separately with the juice from the soup. The pan I used was definitely wide and large enough.

I do not believe my cooking time was 1-1/2 hrs; my leeks and zuchinnis were very soft by the time I blended them. The onions were soft, but harder in the core and the split green peas were still hard no matter what.

The other question I had was since I do not have a juicer and I blended the carrots and celery which gave me about the same amount of juice as would have been from a full recipe would that make a different in terms of the liquidness of the soup.

Thank you! I appreciate it. I try to be as helpful as possible because I know it can be confusing at times. Sometimes what makes sense to me doesn’t to other people and it’s just because I’ve spent more time in the kitchen figuring out things the hard way!

Yes if you used half the split peas and all of the juice from the blended carrots and celery it would have definitely been much more liquid!

I would definitely add more split peas, cut up the onions (so they cook faster) and cook it longer. Split peas really need to be cooked over an hour, I like an hour and a half so they are smooth and mushy myself. Instead of split peas you can also add a can of beans if you like and then partly puree that for a quicker cooking soup.

Fuhrman recipes can sound a little strange in method, but mostly he just wants people to cook some beans, with low calorie veggies, add some greens and then eat that regularly!

I made this soup over the weekend but only made 1/2 the recipe. I have a couple of questions that seemed not to make a whole lot of sense while making the soup. You start out with the split green peas and the water saying to bring to a boil and then add the onions, zuchinnis and leaks and turn down to a medium simmer. Then you give the directions to juice the carrots and the celery. Then you add the juices. Should not all of the ingredients be ready to be put in the pot to start with. I found the leaks and the zuchinnis were soft but not the onions. Also, since I do not have a juicer, I did the carrots and celery in the blender and used a mesh bag to drain the juice and got pretty much the amount you would have if you make a whole recipe. The soup was more on the watery side and the soup in your picture looks like it may be thicker and it had more of a sweet taste to it which I am guessing had to do with the amount of carrot juice. I would have thought it would have more of a blended taste of all the ingredients. The split peas were still on the hard side once it was done and I was curious as to why they are not blended with the other ingredients. You said to use lots of water for the blending the cashews. Well, I did and I did not get the rich creamy texture you did; it was more like blended milk. Are you suppose to make it creamy. I did add the Herebemare and a few bay leaves and did put some thyme in it. The flavors were more noticeable the second day.

Mary Jo fuhrmans recipes are kind of designed in stages. It took me a long time to peel and wash carrots and celery and juice them by the time i added it the zuchinni and onions were almost cooked. If you halved the recipe its possible u didnt have enough bulk from zuchinni and split peas. I would still add 1 cup of split peas as this is a major component in the soup. I could only fit 4 large zuchinnis into the pot. How many did u use? He says 6-10 small/medium

It wasnt super super thick for me but it was thicker than milk for sure. I wanted u to blend the broth from the soup w cashews not add extra water to blend the cashews. Is this what you did?

My soup had at least an hour and 15 min. cooking time for the split peas to get soft because of prepping the carrots, celery and then brushing and slicing all the mushrooms. A longer cook time is necessary to get the veggies and split peas soft before blending. This is not a fast recipe.

Also my pot is very large and wide mouthed so things can steam and cook faster too. A narrow pot would take much longer to cook.

thanks for your effort in sharing this recipe. i was inspired by you tonight, and made my own version. i blended a bunch of celery into a puree, then added shittake mushrooms, green onions and coconut powder. blend till smooth. then cooked on stove with green peas and more mushrooms… added a bit of curry powder for a kick.

i haven’t read the eat to live book yet, but just curious… how are onions good for us? i know they are irritants as raw, but after cooking, what benefit does it do for the body?

I’ve been thinking about the Eat to live program, I’ve flicked through the book but haven’t read it entirely… Would it be easier to just use a hand blender and blend everything at the end? and Why keep all the veggies whole? Does it really make a difference? I like the idea of using carrot/celery juice instead of broth (i’m too lazy to make my own broth – I usually just just the powder + water, which is probably a bit naughty) Wonder if you could make your own “stock powder” from dried ground veggies, guess it would be too fibrous. Anyway, I’m someone whos been eating a lot of raw but have now decided to intergrate more cooked foods into my diet to save some money and also because I’ve realised that I don’t really have a problem with cooking food, it’s destroying it by processing that is the bigger problem and I don’t want the added stress of being a food nazi. You’ve inspired me to give Eat to live a bit more of a read. Maybe some kind of eat to live / raw food combination would work for me.

If you tried a hand blender on those zucchinis, leeks and whole onions it would not work. I needed my Vitamix to blend them whole like that. Also you’d totally blend the split peas.

I think it’s nice to have split pea soup that has some chunkiness to it to chew on. I make some blended soups with squash and carrots and such and those are fine to be pureed.

Fuhrman is just really particular on cooking methods and how things are chopped for the chemical reactions and stuff. But personally I doubt I’d notice a different nutritionally since I eat so much of this stuff and make my own food all the time.

I don’t know if you know this but Fuhrman comes from a Natural Hygiene background and recommends a half raw food diet.

Fuhrman wants people to eat at least 4 pieces of raw fruit a day, 1 lb of raw greens, and 1-2 ounces of raw nuts in addition to 1 cup of cooked beans/legumes, 1 lb cooked greens, and any other cooked veggies you want. So you can definitely do at least half raw on these guidelines. We add a few more starches for calories like steel cut oats, brown rice, quinoa or potatoes as well.

Most of Fuhrman’s dressings are made with raw nuts and seeds, he recommends a large salad every day with a nut dressing (no oil and no avocados). He also recommends to avoid snacking and just eating 3 meals a day when you’re actually hungry, or as close as possible to avoid over eating.

I’m reading “Eat to Live” now. Love Dr. Fuhrman! I must say I’m finding it daunting to eat beans again after following 80/10/10 principles for a while. I found that lentils irritate me so I’ll see how I go with beans. Great site by the way. All the best.

hi dave,
just curious, why did you decide to eat more cooked (lentils, beans) after doing 811? i’m in the same boat… been lfrv for years, and now just very curious to explore cooked options… but both beans and lentils are very acid-forming, no? i tend to stay with sweet potatoes…

The bare bones of it is for me, 80/10/10 is just too hard. I found that I was constantly fighting to stay on it – and then beating myself up for not staying raw. Psychologically I just can’t cut it, and now I realize that I don’t want to have to be completely consumed by food (no pun intended) constantly. After following Dr. Fuhrman’s recommendations for a short while I really feel that I can be happy and healthy.

“80/10/10 is just too hard. ” haha me too! sometimes i feel like an utter failure for not being able to enjoy raw celery/spinach/tomatoes every night. (i just can’t get into lettuce without a good dressing.) what got me started into 811 was the love for fruits, and i still love fruits… and will always love fruits. but just need more variety/taste/warmth in the evening meal.

“Psychologically I just can’t cut it, and now I realize that I don’t want to have to be completely consumed by food (no pun intended) constantly. ” same here!!! for the past couple of months i’ve been so obsessed with food/cravings/self-denial/more cravings… and now i finally give myself some permission and freedom to eat… i feel like a human again. *breathe*

That’s my forum. 🙂 Hope it can offer support. Most people on there are just high raw, or want to eat healthily. They no longer want to struggle with trying to adhere to such a strict diet. It’s very hard and I am seeing that 80/10/10 doesn’t work for everyone or make everyone happy. Some people are just so miserable trying to do it, and if that’s the case they should try something different.

During Fuhrman’s talk that I attended he mentioned that many people have problems with digestion or gas when they start eating beans and legumes because their bodies have not the right amount of digestive enzymes to assimilate this particular type of food. But he recommends people gradually add them to their diet starting with small quantities.

Of course if you were 80/10/10 and then jumped into eating lots of meat, or lots bread or lots of beans any of these would cause digestive problems. Your body is not used to these foods.

It actually prefers to adapt slowly and it can take up to 4-6 weeks for it to be accustomed to a new eating style or exercise regimen. Don’t overload it all at once and then declare something is bad or not good for the body. The only thing that is bad is too much too soon. Just like someone going from junk food SAD to 100% fruit over night it would be very hard on their digestive tract and their stomach wouldn’t be able to cope with all the extra water and fibre. Or someone deciding to run a marathon one day with no training, they would be exhausted and probably be injured at the end of the day and then they would declare that clearly exercise is bad for the body. Extremes are bad, regular quantities of healthy foods are good.

I have read his book “Eat to Live” and all that goes into the making of the soup. I thought that it took to much time and was not about to have to go out and buy a juicer just to make it. You have helped me in knowing that useing vegtable broth in place of the juicing can be used. If you made your own veggie broth you could put the celery and carrots in and then you would have the nutritional part without the juicing part.
Also, I do not like mushrooms. Is there any other vegtable that could replace the mushrooms and get the same consistancy?

Thank you so much for all the hard work you do behind the seens, such as doing the step by step instructions and pictures. It helps me as I am a person that does better looking at pictures and knowing how things are suppost to look like.

I’m sure vegetable broth would be just fine instead of the juice to make it faster. And I also use lots of carrots and celery in my homemade broth, so the only difference would be the flavour. It will be less sweet with vegetable broth.

If you don’t like mushrooms in soup just add any other veggie that you like. You could use broccoli (and then you’d only cook the soup another 5 minutes or so instead of the 30 as it cooks faster) or even quartered baby potatoes (and cook until tender 20-30 min in the soup)

The mushrooms are for the health benefit. As the only veggie to chew on in the soup it is a bit odd, and I would have preferred potatoes and mushrooms to chew on with it!

Thanks so very much – this is just, well, yummy! I have greatly appreciated your beautifully colorful and lively email additions to my day. I’ve appreciated BOTH of your work lots more since you’ve joined forces.! I know that you have made a terrific addition to healthy living, and as your husband once pointed out after you were married, it’s much better to stay consistently healthy eating a few steamed veggies, etc. once in a while rather than completely falling off the raw food bandwagon regularly to indulge in bad-for-you non-foods. Thanks so much. I greatly appreciate your work, especially the gorgeous colors you always provide in your photography, etc. Thank you, thank you.

Thanks for making my day Elizabeth. You may not have known but I was behind the scenes before on many articles, videos and projects giving Frederic ideas and help with them. Now I’ve got something I want to share myself with everyone; my love for photography and recipe creation. I really appreciate your kind feedback and I’m glad to offer many options for healthy food for those wanting vegan or raw recipes. 🙂

This is soo great Veronica! Thanks for all the effort in making a long, seemingly complex process so simple! (well, relatively so at least…)

Love all the photos (and comments below photos) – not bland and yucky-looking at all! Believe it or not, the soup looks really appetising, even in it’s half-made stage 🙂 I’m going to make this for my people asap.

Btw, I like your idea of adding thyme – I think that will make it extra yummy – I used to add a couple of bunches of thyme whenever I made home-made baked beans. I used to put them in right at the beginning of the cooking process and it really added to the overall flavour.

Oh and thanks for putting in the g/kg measurements (as well as lb/oz)!! Much appreciated!! ‘Cups’ are also fine though when you’re talking these huge quantities, they’re not so useful…

Thanks Em. 🙂 I’m writing the soup ebook now so I’ve been adding the conversions so I’m just adding it here as well cuz the quantities are so big. Honestly the soup freaked me out a bit in its ugly stage cuz none of mine look like that lol. The carrot juice simmered down after a while. HaHa

Hi Veronica, I have been making a very similar soup to this for many years, all the same vegetables – minus the juicing of the veg, but with herbamare for added flavour. Oh and red lentils instead of split peas. I’m going to try the juicing next time. Just wanted to say your photo makes a rather bland looking soup look really yummy! Love all of your recipes and your generosity in sharing. Thank you 🙂

Veronica, do you think there’s any real reason for the cashews? I’m more interested (right now in my life) in reducing my fat intake as much as possible, and the cashews seem to me like a pointless addition of fat. If he’s adding them for flavor, well, I can’t stand sweet soups anyway, so that may answer my question!

Hi Karen. Thats one of the reasons I did the nutriotional information at the bottom of the recipe. It actually adds a negligible amount of fat per serving. Most calories come from a combo of split peas carrots and cashews.

I very occasionally add cashews to soup using almond milk more often. In this case he adds it for nutrition as he reccommends 1 to 2 oz of nuts a day in the form of blended salad dressings or in soup. And it helps the texture of the soup otherwise itd be even more gritty and probably less nice to eat.

Veronica, thanks for posting a detailed step-by-step description of Dr. Fuhrman’s anti-cancer soup. Dr. Fuhrman recommends to chop or puree the allium family of vegetables (onions, leeks, garlic) as well as cruciferous vegetables before they get added to the hot soup. This is an important adjustment to his original recipe. The scientific reason is described below.

Cruciferous and allium vegetables contain cells called glucosinolates. These cells are broken apart by chewing, cutting, blending, and pulverizing. These actions activate an enzyme called myrosinase, which yields the byproduct: isothiocyanates (ITC’s). These phytochemcials offer those tremendous benefits, including cancer protection.

Myrosinase is a heat-sensitive enzyme, so the heat deactivates its ability to function. Therefore, it’s essential to blend or chop the cruciferous vegetables prior to gentle heating. Otherwise, the myrosinase may be deactivated and essentially rendered useless prior to initiating the beneficial ITC’s.

Once the ITC’s are formed, it is okay to heat the soup as the ITC’s are not heat-sensitive.

If you want more information, I believe this concept is described in Fuhrman’s book Super Immunity.

If you don’t have one, personally I would just exchange the juice for homemade or organic low sodium vegetable broth and then add a little sweetener to it. Maybe yam slices or beets sliced thinly to bring up the flavour. The carrots add some sweetness so it’s more flavourful as peas or beans with no season can be pretty bland. It would probably need 50-55 ounces of broth to replace it.

If you don’t have a high power blender or a food processor, I would chop everything so that you get a chunky version of this soup.

Dr. Fuhrman likes to have his onions blended in soups for health benefits. But I eat so many onions from my recipes I’m not worried about a lack of onion absorption. 🙂

Thank you Lourdes. Your response makes this all worth it. 🙂 I thought it was a really complicated recipe that could benefit from more detailed instructions so people are encouraged to make it if they hadn’t before.

Thanks for sharing Veronica. I have made this soup several times from the book . I love it! It is messy and a little time consuming but totally worth the effort. My whole family liked it as well. Next time I will try your good additions. I never had the VegiZest to put into it but did not think to add extra herbs. I think I could live off soup and salad! I just made a lovely roasted garlic and roasted cauliflower soup but it did use oil in the roasting.
Thank you for all you do to share with us .
warmly, Nancy